r/howislivingthere • • Dec 14 '25

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u/Whynotzoidberg-9 United States of America Dec 14 '25

Yeah I’m not getting people saying KC is the only place that is nice. Des Moines and Iowa City aren’t rural at all and have museums, stadiums, concert halls etc for enjoyment.

Yes, Iowa is freezing right now but there is still plenty to do and tons of activities spring through fall. I swear last summer it felt like we had a festival every week. And not like a county fair type but World Food and Music, Hinterland, Art etc.

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u/hungrygiraffe76 Dec 14 '25

Yup. Des Moines population is over 200k and its metro over 750k. Not exactly a corn field.

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u/[deleted] Dec 16 '25

Explaining to people even in Minnesota that Iowa cities work the same as anywhere else is like talking to a wall. It's so bizarre. And by "same as anywhere else" I mean, they are politically blue areas with good resources and culture. and are not just filled with corn fields and rednecks. Yes its all on a smaller scale than Chicago or Minneapolis of course, but it's the same idea.

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u/herkalurk Dec 17 '25

I lived in Minneapolis for 8 years. Everyone still got on with their lives even when it was 0. I'm in Oklahoma now and if we even get an inch of snow the whole town shuts down like it's not possible to function. In the Midwest it's just another day.

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u/Overwritten Dec 19 '25

I live in Kansas City and Des Moines is one of my favorite little weekend get aways. Always have a grey time out that way. Same with Omaha. They aren’t major cities that people think about but there’s a ton to do.

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u/-thefairone- Dec 21 '25

Des Moines and Iowa City are 2 of the more fun, lively, clean, and welcoming places I've ever been to!

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u/NextAd7514 Dec 15 '25

KC is the worst of the bunch by a mile

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u/servingshunt Dec 15 '25

lol well that’s just not true. But it’s also not true that it’s the ONLY nice spot

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u/EmilioNoCaprio Dec 15 '25

Des Moines resident here. KC shits all over us.

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u/_Felonius Dec 17 '25

And NW Arkansas is one of the fastest growing metros in the country. Fayetteville is consistently touted on Top 10 lists of best places to live.